Here on earth
by Zero31
Summary: Alternate Universe- set a while ago, probably in the english countryside, Goku is a young orphaned man who joins a band of gypsi's after being rescued from robbers, of corse where there's Goku, there's troble
1. A New Beginning

Here on Earth  
By::Zero3  
  
He walked along the dirt road. Slowly and placidly, as he always did. He had to go somewhere, didn't he? He had no home of his own. The colors of dusk where all around him as he streched his arms over his head.  
  
"Now would be a good time to find somewhere to sleep." He sighed to himself. He looked out over the expance of fields around him. A wooden picked-fence marked the farmers property from the road. A piece of the wood had fallen from the fence and lay still by the ground. This, along with waves of wheat in the field, provided a small selterd place. He crawled under the fence and behind the stray board. Out of the small sack he carried he took a blanket. He had gotten it as a begger in one of the small citys that dotted this countryside. Covering himself to protect his body from the chill of evening, he lay down to sleep.  
"I don't think he has any money."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
The voices woke him from his sleep. He stayed down,though, afraid of who they where.  
  
"Look at his clothes." Said the first voice, "If he had any money he'd buy better clothes."  
  
The second voice was gruff, "I guess you're right, but.."  
  
"But what?" The second scoffed, "He's just a vagabond!"  
  
Sudenly it hit him, these where robbers. He began to sweat nervously thinking of a way out, unfortunetly, there was none that came to mind.  
  
"He's got to have a family somewhere doesn't he?" The second one continued, "maybe they've got money."  
  
"I didn't think of that." The first replied, "Okay, Wake the lad up."  
  
The first one bent over and shook the young man. He groaned then looked up, mocking total shock, he screamed.  
  
"W-what do y-you wa-want?" He studdered.  
  
"You're coming with us boy." the man said, pulling him up by the arm. His hands where rough and worn. And the boy could see his face and arms where unwashed and scarred. "Move it you great oaf!"   
  
He was pulled harshly into the road where the first robber stood waiting with a length of rope. The second man pushed him over and his hands where bound together. He was forced to follow at the will of the men.  
  
They walked until morning, then until late afternoon. When the subject of family came up, along with ransom.  
  
"Don't you have any family at all?" The robbers pressed the question for the fifth time.  
  
"None." The boy said honestly, "If I do I don't know them. I'm an orphan."  
  
"An orphan, eh? Then where do you come from?"  
  
"Well actually, I don't know. I took a hit to the head in a nasty fall. I suppose I'm an orphan though."  
  
"Well, you'll do no good than will you?"  
  
The other, more silent of his two kidnappers spoke up then, "How about that old man? He seem to care for all good people, even if he never seen im' in his life."   
  
"That farmer?"  
  
"Of corse."  
  
"Not a bad idea my friend."  
  
That night the robbers made camp, including a nice warm fire. They sat him off to the side, as if he where nothing but a pack animal. He sat there silent and every once in a while he swore he heard a faint wisper. He looked into the edge of the woods curiously, but soon dismissed it as his imagination.  
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Meanwhile, Two young women accompanied by a young man stood watch in the woods.  
  
"So, they're back I see." The man stated.  
  
"It appers that way doesn't it, dear." The woman standing beside him said.  
  
"They won't learn, will they?" The second young woman said, flicking one of her raven locks from her face. "Who have they got?"  
  
"Some guy."  
  
"He's awfully adorable." The first girl pondered, then turned to the man, "But I'm afraid he's not as cute as you, Tien." She absently untied the scarf that rested on her head, letting her violet hair fall down. She tied the scarf around his neck then giggled absent mindedly.  
  
"Would you two stop it, I think you're making me sick."  
  
"Oh Chichi. You're just jealous, but someday you'll fall in love, then you can help us turn people a sickening green color." Tien laughed.  
  
"Yeah," She said sarcastically, "wait here." She started to creep out from behind the trees.  
  
The youthful man woke from his fitfull sleep to find a young woman standing over him. He would have screamed had she not jumped down and gagged him with a brightly colored scarf.  
  
"Shhhh!" She demanded, she looked him up and down, Then looked him strait in the face. From the faint light of the fire he could barely make out her features. Her hair was black as deepest night sky and it hid most of her face as she untied his hands.   
  
"Stay here." She demanded in a deathly quite voice. He nodded, still unable to speak. Withat that she took up a nearbye tree branch and walked to where the robbers sat with thier backs turned. She came up silently and bashed them both quickly upside the head. They both fell from thier seats. The woman quickly bent down and searched thier pockets. She put an assortment of coins into a purse she carried before returning to his side and untying the scarf.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked politely. "Thanks for helping me." He rubbed absently at the rope-cuts on his wrists.  
  
"My name is Chichi," She replied helping him to his feet, "I'm a gypsi. Follow me." She instucted and took him by the hand. She walked into the woods, leading him behind her.  
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He awoke the next morning in a covered wagon. He was covered with warm blankets and his head was on a pillow, this place was luxurious. He scutlled to the flap of the wagon and moved it to the side. From his view he could see the pile of ashes that had been a fire the pervious night. Around it, where all sort of various people, old and young, tall and short, all veried in looks. The flap on the opposite side of the wagon opened and the violet-haired girl came in.   
  
"Good morning!" She chimed in a musical voice, "I'm glad to see you're awake."  
  
"Thank you." He said modestly.  
  
Suddenly there came a deep growling from somewhere in the wagon. As He blushed furiously, the girl laughed.  
  
"You're hungrey. Chichi is making some breakfast for us all." She turned to leave him, "Oh by the way," she turned back and held out her hand, "I'm Lunch!"  
  
He took her hand and shook is merrily. "Pleased to meet you."  
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"Don't you have a name?"  
  
They had all just eaten breakfast. His stomach was full and the peoples minds where full of questions.  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
"How can you not be sure?"  
  
"I'm not sure." He said it simply enough.  
  
"Look," It was Chichi, "We're getting nowhere with this."  
  
An old stooped man scurried through the small crownd. "I want to see the lad. Let me through."   
  
"Roshi? Where have you been?" Asked a rather short fellow from the group.  
  
"Asleep."   
  
He then ponderously laid his eyes on the newcomer. "Hmmmm...I think, I've seen him before." He became lost in thoghts and memories, scanning over years past. "Ahhhhhh...The boy, Son Goku."  
  
"S-son Goku?" The young man stuttered.  
  
"Yes," The old man began, "An old friend of mine, Son Gohan by name, had a grandson, Son Goku, who I believe you to be."  
  
That simple statement answered so many questions. "I'm, I'm a real person then? I have a past! I have a family!"  
  
"Not exatly, Son Gohan is dead."  
  
His hope fell. He had no family. It wasn't fair. Son Goku stood up, his head hanging, and ran into the woods with tears in his eyes. Imidiatly the small man and Chichi went to persue him, but Roshi caught Chichi's arm. "Let Kuririn speak to him."  
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Kuririn placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Goku, you're wrong, did you know that?"  
  
He shook his head. "How am I wrong?"  
  
"You're part of our family now. All of us. We're your brothers and sister, your parents and grandparents, we are all your family."  
  
"You don't understand. I never had a past, and not much of a future. I never had anyone to turn to. And now I find that I have someone in that empty spot, but they aren't around anymore."  
  
"I understand. I'm a orphan myself. I grew up with a bunch of other rough boys. Until we tried to rob a gypsi group. I was the only one who was caught, I really thought they would kill me. They didn't though, and now my place is with them, maybe yours is too."  
  
Kuririn left Goku to ponder those words. And through and through, he did ponder over them. It was dusk by the time he came back to the camp. A solidary shadow sat waiting by the fireplace.  
  
"Are you okay?" It was Chichi, " We where all worried about you, there are some frightful things in those woods." She tilted her head to where he had just come.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Are you hungrey? There's some stew left in that pot on the fire." She took a wooden bowl and offered it to him. He took it.  
  
While he sat eating she looked him up and down again. Then she got up, "I'll be right back." When she returned she was carrying an armload of clothes. "Here, put these on."  
  
Goku picked up one of the garments, looking at it closly, then removed his shirt.  
  
"Not here! Don't you have any modesty?"  
  
"Uhhh..."  
  
She pointed to an empty tent. "Go in there and change those clothes."  
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YAYAY! Chapter one is done! It's not that bad either. I beg you forgive my many spelling mistakes, I know there must be a few (few is an undersatment).  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DragonballZ, Akira Toriyama, and his wonderfully delightful imagination, does. I do however keep the plot as this story as mine, so there :p  
  
I've already written chapter two, and just need to edit it slightly before I upload it, until then, keep on reading.. 


	2. Learning Lessons, Seeing Faces

"My mother died when I was a little girl. I was so young I can barly remember what happened. We where going somewhere, far from our home. I can't remember the faces of the people that killed her, just for my fathers money. After that we had nowhere else to go but with my father's old mentor, Roshi. I've been with these people since. It's the only life I know." She hung her head in obvious sorrow, maybe regret for something that wasn't even her fault.  
  
"I'm sorry. It must hurt to lose what you love." He tried to smile encouragingly at her. The silence followed with both of them lost in thought. "You know something?"  
  
"Hhmmmmm?"  
  
"I've never had a full stomache for as long as I can remember. I think I'm going to be happy with you," he pause for a second, as if rethinking, "and everyone else too."  
  
She suddenly laughed, a rich laugh that Goku never really forgot. It made him feel like laughing too.She stood up. "It's late." She turned to leave, "Goodnight, Son Goku, you finally know who you are, and that makes me feel better about myself, somehow." She walked off to the wagon that substituted for a house.  
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"Tienshinhan! You give that back right now!" Goku awoke to Lunch chasing her young man around trying to get her apron. "If you want breakfast, you'll give it to me, NOW!" Tien (as they called him) threw the apron so it landed squarly on Lunch's head. "Here, m' dear." He called. She took the garment from atop her head, "Thanks a lot," She drawled sarcastically. She put the apron on and went to stand with Chichi by the fire.  
  
About half-way through breakfast Kuririn and Yamucha came running back tward the camp. "WOOOOOOOOO!" Yamucha let out a yell of delight, "A caravan!," he exclaimed, "coming from the east road." Kuririn ran up beside him, "And another from the west road!" Both grinned broadly. Yamucha, true to his nature, began flirting with the nearest girl. He took the apple she was about to eat and threw it into the air. He then took a dagger out of his belt and held it point-up. The apple landed easily on the knife, cutting it perfectly in two. He gave both halfs to the young lady and winked mischieviously.  
  
"What's so great about a couple of caravans?" Goku asked unknowingly. Kuririn chuckled, "Why, we gypsies are the performing people."  
  
"And," Yamucha added, "The entertainment always carries a price."  
  
"Alright you two," Chichi started, "Calm down." Yamucha just grinned wider, "Yes, ma'am." She hit him over the head. Lunch stood up, "I guess we'd better get ready.."  
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Everyone was dressed in their finest now. Lunch wore bright colorfull clothes and braided her hair and, for reasons Goku couldn't understand, Tien wouldn't leave her alone. All of them had divided into groups and they where doing various acrobatic tricks. He was learning, sorta.  
  
"Goku! Pay attention!" Chichi's voice was right in his ear. He let out a startled holler, "Aahhhh!" She just scowled, then smirked, "Hold still," She said."Okay." He held perfectly still, until the force of Chichi landing on his shoulders sent them both tumbling. "You dummy!"  
  
"I'm sorry," that was all he could think of to say, she had suprised him. "Just help me up," Her voice was exasperated.  
  
Tien strode over and Goku was slightly startled to see Lunch's legs hanging over his green vest. From behind him Lunch screamed, "YOU CAN PUT ME DOWN NOW!" Tien, who was holding onto her ankles (fiddling with a silver anklet), let go suddenly, then stepped aside. Lunch was standing perfectly on her hands. She then bent her arms and popped back up to a standing position. Goku's eyes were wide, he looked to Chichi. "Can you do that?" She nodded, "Yep."  
  
"Well.."  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"Lets see."  
  
She rolled her eyes. Bending over she tied the brim of her skirt so it looked like a pair of loose trousers. Then she jumpped off one foot and landed on her hands, "C'mon Lunch." She said. Lunch hopped into a handstand too, then walked over to the other young lady. Chichi stood on her feet again, "Show Goku that one thinga-majig." Lunch grinned, "Okie dokie. Hold still Tienshinhan." She jumpped off of her hands again, only higher. She landed on Tien's shoulders, on her feet, she then jumpped from there landing on her hands. From that position she turned up into another hand-stand, this time though, on his shoulders. Goku clapped, "Nifty."   
"Do you think you can hold still?"  
He looked at her, "Umm, sure, I'll try." She flipped onto her hands, "Ready?" He nodded. She jumpped up and landed on his shoulders, he thought it would hurt, but it didn't. She finished the trick. "Aaa-aa-choo!" Lunch sneezed. This must have been a bad thing because Tien let out and "Oh no." And Chichi yelped and fell from her perfect handstand, He caught her. "Thanks." She said quickly, then she hopped out of his arms and ran to Lunch. Something was definatly wroung, Lunch's hair had changed color. She looked at Tien, who was cluching her arm, "Get off 'a me!" She bopped him upside the head. Chichi pulled out a feather from her pocket and momentarily stuck in under Lunch's nose. She sneezed again, and she looked the same as before. "Oh," her sweet voice was back, "Thank you." She smiled, "I forgot the reason we came over here, Baba's missing her tarot cards."  
"Tarot cards? What are those?" Goku piped up curiously.  
Tien was the first to answer him, "They're cards used to tell fortunes, rich, supersticous people pay loads to have thier fortunes told." He smiled dryly.  
"Oh."Goku mouthed, making no sound.  
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Baba was a wrinkled old woman. She was small and wore a plain black dress, she was apparently very wise. She sat in a tent on the side of the dirt rode anticipating the arival of the two caravans. Her tent was filled with all sorts of things that Goku had never seem before. Various obsture objects lined the floor and a self sat to one side held many small curious bottles. In the center of the small stand there was a table and in the center of the table there was a glass sphere. Chichi was outside, looking through camel packs and horse packs and goat packs for the cards, along with the wrinkling old woman. Lunch and Tien were looking through everyones wagons, in spite of everyones objections. He himself, was double checking Baba's tent. By noon, they had not yet found them.  
  
While they were eating, though, a small dog tan up and jumpped over the campfire, a small box in it's mouth. It was followed imidiatly by Chichi, who was obviously chasing it.  
  
"Stupid animal!" She shouted after it, "Give me that right now!" She demanded harshly. Finally she caught up with it, grabbing it firmly by it's tail. "PIG!," She shouted at the dog, "What kind of trick are you trying to pull off now!?" In a puff of pinkish smoke the dog changed. Chichi was now holding a pig, who was wearing a pair of trousers, by the ear. He had the box in his hand. "Fine, Fine! HERE!" She handed her the box. Chichi kicked him in the back of the head before letting him go, "You'de better behave yourself, of we'll all have a feast of ham."  
  
The box contained Baba's cards and she even showed Goku how to use them. Of course, Goku wasn't must of a mental type. The art of fortune telling didn't work out for him.  
  
By late afternoon, near evening, the dust being stirred up by the caravans could be seen. By dusk both of the groups where upon their camp. Goku thought it would be something extrememly grand by the way everyone was acting about it. But there was nothing but a few wagons. Kuririn explained that it wasn't the wagons that where important, it was what they had inside.  
  
Goku found out what was inside. In one, a traveling lady came. She had a regal bearing, and that, along with hear great beauty, was very appeling to the men of the camp. Goku, though, didn't completely understand such affairs, so he kept his head clear of it. In the other troope of wagons came a lords son. He, though royal enough, was a detached sort of person. He seemed to turn his nose up at anyone and everything.  
  
The travelers where offered food by the gypsies, who custumarily danced for coins. And they did thier tricks. By the time all of the entertainment was done, it was late enough for the travelers to make camp, and that's what they did.  
  
During the corse of the night, I'm afraid to report, there was troble. The lady of the caravan, Burma by name, requested a blanket. Yamucha and his cat-friend, Puar, was sent to fetch her one. Half-way to sleep, the man carried a lantern to the supply wagan, setting it down he reached for a blanket. When his elbow came up, the lantern went down.  
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UHHHHH....My writing pretty much sucks...but, here it is anyway, chapter2..I actually wrote a second chapter...I'm open to suggestions at Trumpe2002@aol.com..any suggestion on what to write would be most helpful. I need to know what the people want.. 


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